


decently clothed

by The_Eclectic_Bookworm



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-09-01 16:56:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16769173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Eclectic_Bookworm/pseuds/The_Eclectic_Bookworm
Summary: “Jenny, are you selecting my wardrobe based solely on what is and isn’t easy to divest me of?”“…no,” said Jenny.“That’s not evenremotelyconvincing.”





	decently clothed

**Author's Note:**

> some context for this fic: it's based on [this excerpt from a btvs novel,](http://jenny-calendar.tumblr.com/post/179866430176/uh-one-last-one-last-btvs-novel-post-because-its) wherein giles's place burns down and jenny is the one who helps him buy new clothes.
> 
> set at some point in season 2, post-ted but pre-surprise.

“Hats!” said Jenny, and darted past Giles to knock over a hat display. Giles, who hadn’t seen Jenny wear a hat _once,_ waited patiently until she had put the hat display (mostly) to rights, then gave her a You’ve-Never-Worn-A-Hat-Once look. She rolled her eyes. “You know what,” she said, “I didn’t bring you along so you could make snarky faces at me about my accessorizing choices—”

“—no, you came along because you’ve made it your mission to commandeer mine,” Giles countered, picking up one of the hats Jenny hadn’t yet gotten to. He held it up, then set it carefully on her head. “How’s that?”

“I don’t like hats with ribbons,” said Jenny, taking off the hat and placing it on Giles’s head instead. She adjusted it till the lime green ribbon tickled the back of his neck; he giggled, and her face lit up. “Did I win a laugh?”

“You’ve won all my laughs,” said Giles seriously. “And this hat really does suit my color. Is this our first addition to my new wardrobe?”

“I think Snyder would have a conniption if you showed up to school in that,” said Jenny, but she sounded almost pleased by the concept. “Come to think of it—”

“Thank you, I’d prefer _not_ to get fired before Buffy graduates,” said Giles, taking off the hat and setting it back on the display. “Now, are we going to pick out my new, updated ensemble, or are you going to continue to make me try on hats that really aren’t my color?”

“You’re right, Rupert, you’re more of an autumn,” said Jenny, and tried to head back towards the hat display.

Giles grabbed her arm, pulling her back into him; she collapsed in giggles. “You really aren’t taking this seriously, are you?” he inquired, which only made Jenny laugh harder. “Prospects for my wardrobe being anything sensible seem rather grim if my dear lady friend is hell-bent on picking out—I don’t know, ladies’ hats, leg warmers—”

“I was looking at a disco suit over in Menswear,” said Jenny happily, letting her head fall back against Giles’s chest.

“And I’m sure the children won’t have _anything_ mocking to say about that,” said Giles, letting Jenny go.

“Well, you know what, if they do, I’ll give them all detention,” said Jenny matter-of-factly. “Teachers can do that, right? Abuse their power to make sure no one makes fun of their fashion-challenged fuddy-duddy?”

“Is that the term of endearment we’re going with, then?” said Giles.

“Yep,” said Jenny.

“Is there any possibility of you changing it?”

“Nope,” said Jenny.

* * *

“No,” said Giles.

“Rupert, _please?_ ”

“No,” said Giles again. “Absolutely no self-respecting librarian would wear _sweaters_ to a place of work.”

“ _I_ wear sweaters to _my_ place of work.”

“Yes, and you’re nowhere near a self-respecting librarian.”

“I am a _knowledge seeker,”_ said Jenny, holding the sweater plaintively to her chest, “and you’d look _really_ sexy coming to work in sweaters. I wouldn’t have to take off five layers every time I want to make out with you in your office!”

Giles tried his best to remind himself that professionalism was key when picking out a new wardrobe, that he needed at least a few new sensible suits befitting of an educator and respected Watcher, and that he couldn’t cave to every whim of his girlfriend’s just because she was a ridiculously prolific flirt. “You think I’m sexy in sweaters?” he said instead.

“Mm hmm!” Jenny appeared to be doing her best to look innocent and angelic. It really wasn’t working. “I always love it when we’re hanging out at your place and you’ve got on a sweater and I can just, you know, slide it up and off—”

“I’d think that’s hardly appropriate workplace behavior, Ms. Calendar,” said Giles, but he took the sweater from her. “I must insist on at least a _few_ button-downs—”

“If we’re doing button-downs we’re not doing sweater vests, Rupert,” said Jenny firmly. “Or _any_ vests. Those things take forever to unbutton.”

“Jenny, are you selecting my wardrobe based solely on what is and isn’t easy to divest me of?”

“…no,” said Jenny.

“That’s not even _remotely_ convincing.”

Jenny waved a hand dismissively and went back to looking through sweaters. “Oh, this one’s nice!” she said, turning to hold a deep green sweater up in front of Giles. “Really brings out your eyes.”

“You like my eyes?” said Giles, who was doing a very bad job of not caving to Jenny’s every whim.

Jenny shrugged a little and smiled, her cheeks a bit pink. “Uh, yeah,” she said, handing him the second sweater. “Yeah, your eyes are—your eyes are okay.”

“I’ll try and take that as a compliment,” said Giles, grinning, and turned to the neatly folded pile of sweaters. “How about this one?”

“Ooh, _blue,_ ” said Jenny approvingly. “Add it to the pile.”

* * *

“I draw the line at jeans,” Giles informed Jenny as she tugged him toward a stack of denim.

“Oh, these aren’t for you,” said Jenny, letting go of his hand to rummage through one of the piles. “I work the skirts when I’m on the clock, but I think I could do with a few more pairs of jeans.” She held up a pair for Giles’s inspection. “Thoughts?”

“You’d look good in a paper sack, Jenny,” said Giles impatiently. “There really isn’t any _point_ in you trying to find _good_ clothing when you _make_ it look good.”

Jenny stared at him with raised eyebrows and an open-mouthed smile.

“What?”

“I just really, really like you sometimes,” said Jenny, still smiling.

Giles felt himself smiling back. “Not _all_ the time?”

“Gotta have _some_ variety,” said Jenny. “Help me try on these jeans?”

“Well, I suppose—what,” said Giles, who, with his brain on Jenny-Really-Is-Quite-Marvelous autopilot, had been halfway to agreeing with her without fully registering what she’d said. “Jenny, _what—_ ”

“Help me try on these jeans?” said Jenny again, giving him a look that really was not appropriate for a department store. Or anywhere public, really.

“Jenny—”

“I mean, it’s not like you’ll be seeing anything _new,_ ” said Jenny, her mouth twitching.

It was only the spark of mischief in her eyes that reminded Giles that yes, she _was_ most likely joking, and no, he was _not_ going to fall to pieces when they still had a mission to accomplish. “Right,” he said. “Far be it from me to distract you from openly propositioning me in a department store, but Jenny, we’ve been here nearly two hours and I still don’t have any trousers.”

“Pants,” said Jenny.

“Oh, now _really_ isn’t the time to start _that_ etymological debate,” said Giles, a mixture of exasperated and amused.

Jenny grabbed seven pairs of jeans at random (her approach to shopping was, as with everything about her, the exact opposite of Giles’s own methodical attentiveness) and followed Giles right until she realized they were heading in the direction of the neatly pressed slacks. “ _No,”_ she objected, tugging at his sleeve.

“Compromises do need to be made, Jenny,” Giles reminded her. “Nearly half of what I’m holding? Sweaters.”

Jenny considered this, then said, “I get to pick out ten funny ties when we’re getting you button-downs.”

“ _Ten—_ I think _three_ is reasonable!”

“Eight?”

“Four—”

“Five.”

This seemed a bit better than ten, but Giles still wavered. “How awful will these ties be?”

“Hey, I learned my lesson with the monster trucks,” said Jenny. “Small steps now, and maybe three years down the line we can try cartoon characters on your neckties.”

Giles thought he was rather all right with that concept.

* * *

They did end up sharing a fitting room, which ended up being more playful than sexy. Jenny tried on a handful of casual dresses, and Giles tried on the unholy amount of sweaters that Jenny had snuck into the shopping cart when she’d thought he wasn’t looking. He had been, it was just that he didn’t _mind_ all that much. He couldn’t remember the last time shopping for clothing had been something fun.

Jenny brought fun to the most unexpected things, Giles thought, watching her twirl in the mirror and trip, laughing, over the hem of the too-long dress. Things like shopping, and late-night research, and being a Watcher.

* * *

“Okay, so what’s the tally?”

“Five sweaters, four button-downs, eight pairs of trousers, _seven_ ridiculous ties even though I am _very_ sure I only agreed to five—”

“I have no idea how that happened,” said Jenny, not even bothering to feign innocence this time.

“—other assorted essentials, and two reasonably respectable suit jackets,” Giles finished. Grudgingly, he added, “Not tweed.”

“Well, this is only the first round of shopping,” Jenny pointed out. “You’ve always got the option to go out and buy stuff without me.”

“I don’t think I’d like that very much,” said Giles softly.

Jenny blinked, then smiled, the soft, half-surprised little grin that Giles had never seen her give anyone else. “Oh,” she said. “Oh. Okay,” and then she tucked her hand into the crook of Giles’s elbow, fingers curling quietly, possessively, around his upper arm.


End file.
